Miriam James is a full-time Canadian artist living in Whiterock, BC.
She prepared to become a doctor, [you read that right] as early as she can remember. She graduated Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology and Laboratory Sciences, then somehow, life happened and she ended up spending most of her twenties working in graphic design for print.
Thus began her seemingly inevitable assimilation into the world of art and design.
In her late twenties, she decided to eventually pursue that elusive medical degree and post graduation, worked in a hospital setting.
Later on, she had an accident which left her with a life of dealing with constant pain. That fleeting moment took away a much different path she had prepared and strived for.
Through all this, continuous learning, a professional work ethic, and persistence, were qualities no stranger to hers. She built on her time in design work, with the strong cornerstone of her diverse, professional life experiences. She gradually found herself being more and more immersed in drawing sketches and painting studies. She began spending her days frantically studying art, then creating art. The nights were spent in quiet frustration toward the limitations of her hands, then the medium, and about how slow the progress in her days went.
Meanwhile, she soaked-in all the beauty in as many art galleries that were physically possible for her to visit. She stood in awe in great halls, in the company of canvases, that already existed hundreds of years ago, way before she was born. She took advantage of learning from the Old Masters and soon she began to really enjoy the process of creating, experimenting, and learning.
Most of the time, there is still a push and pull between being able to produce work that sold, versus being able to just do the work for the sake of the process, which always eventually leads to learning.
She has an increasing urge to create and keep evolving as an artist. More often than not, this wins out over the pressures of production. She allows herself room to fail as she pushes her artistic boundaries.
Nowadays, her time is happily spent in the studio, still creating, studying, learning; persisting on a course which she did not choose to begin with, but is now making the most of.
She is grateful for this chance to develop a skill and a love for art that has always been there, but wasn’t always given much priority or opportunity to thrive.
Throughout her life and her journey as an artist, change has always been a constant companion. She recognizes she still has a lot to learn and has a long way to go.
She strives for her art story to be of honing skill, discovery, overcoming adversity and brewing joy & beauty as she finds it.